RJ Spagnols Transfering from primary to secondary

[Redskins]

Would you recommend transferring a 6 gallon batch of wine off the lees into a 5 gallon carboy so you do not have to top up with as much water? This is my second kit so i do not have spare "like wines" to top it off to below the airlock. The first wine i did i had to add quite a bit of water after transfing it into a 6 gallon carboy and that pinot grigio will probably end up with a pretty watered down taste.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Nope, just take almost everything when you rack and it will be fine. Kits have 1 quart too little built in, so adding the last quart (of water or wine) won't hurt anything.

 

[TonyP]

Topping is not uncommon in wine making and is something that all wine makers deal with. Some wine makers move from 6 to 5 gallon carboys at some point and I don't see doing so as a problem. (I don't do it myself.) Keep in mind though, that wines seldom require topping with exactly the same wine and topping with similar wines is perfectly acceptable. In addition, many wine kits are designed with less than the required amount of water (not all, though, as suggested above), so adding water is not only OK but may be necessary. The choice on whether to add water, wine, or something else (like marbles) depends on the particular situation.

You don't ask, but I'd move toward improving your racking technique in order to avoid substantial topping. My suggestion is tom practice with water.

 

[Thig]

I like to rack to a smaller carboy and then put the excess in a smaller container. I have several 3 liter and 1/2 gallon jugs and you can even use 2 or 3 wine bottles to hold the excess. Topping off with water may not be a problem but I don't like to add any water after the fermentation is going or finished.

 

[Redskins]

Topping is not uncommon in wine making and is something that all wine makers deal with. Some wine makers move from 6 to 5 gallon carboys at some point and I don't see doing so as a problem. (I don't do it myself.) Keep in mind though, that wines seldom require topping with exactly the same wine and topping with similar wines is perfectly acceptable. In addition, many wine kits are designed with less than the required amount of water (not all, though, as suggested above), so adding water is not only OK but may be necessary. The choice on whether to add water, wine, or something else (like marbles) depends on the particular situation.

You don't ask, but I'd move toward improving your racking technique in order to avoid substantial topping. My suggestion is tom practice with water.

Your right about that. I will need to get better at racking. There really wasnt much liquid left on the must when i racked my pinot to secondary but i had to top it off with almost a gallon of water to get it close to the bung. that was the main reason i bought a 5 gallon carboy so i would not have to do that again. Hopefully it wont taste too watered down but im not sure how i could have gotten more from siphoning as there was hardly any wine left on the lees when i racked.

 

[TonyP]

Your right about that. I will need to get better at racking. There really wasnt much liquid left on the must when i racked my pinot to secondary but i had to top it off with almost a gallon of water to get it close to the bung. that was the main reason i bought a 5 gallon carboy so i would not have to do that again. Hopefully it wont taste too watered down but im not sure how i could have gotten more from siphoning as there was hardly any wine left on the lees when i racked.

There's only two possibilities: either you under added water originally or took too much out. How did you mark the primary?

 

[Jwatson]

If racking from a bucket to a carboy for secondary fermentation, use the 6 gal carboy and there is no need to top. Much CO2 will be released during the racking (and you will see CO2 bubbles rise for sometime thereafter. Furthermore, since fermentation is finishing, some CO2 will still be released (albeit so slowly). If one racks gently, oxidation is not a problem.

Racking to a 5 gal carboy or topping off with a similar wine is done after secondary is complete as you are now entering the stabilization, bulk aging phase.

 

[robie]

I agree with JWatson.

When you rack after secondary and everytime afterwards, you will have a similar problem, though.

After secondary, you are dealing mainly with very lite lees/sediment; mainly dead yeast. After you rack off your wine, save theses lite lees in a small glass jar, just big enough to hold it. Seal it and put it in the frig for a couple days. After it settles, you will be able to use a sanitized turkey baster to suck off the clear, clean portion of that wine. It is not unusual to safe from 1/2 to a full bottle of wine everytime.

For a kit especially, do this after each racking. Over the cycle of making the wine and bottling, you can safe a lot of wine, which otherwise would have been tossed.